Saturday, 25 June 2016

Return to the Lily banners

Today, though I am still not feeling much like big opposed games (Due to bereavement) I was persuaded to try another game of Beneath the Lily Banners. As ever, I had my Franco-Bavarians, and were joined by an English Brigade!

Ian provided an Imperialist force with some Danish mercenaries!

My force went on the right of our line, The Gendarmes de France led the horse wing. My commander, Marshall Villers was behind them.

Next to my horse was a brigade of foot.

Adjoining the English, a built up area forced my second line into column on my second foot brigade, behind 2 battalions of the Garde Francaise.

Lawrence (having the Elector of Bavaria as his commander) had a French brigade under his command.

2 Brigades of Bavarian horse, and a small brigade of English horse, held Lawrence's left.

Opposite my wing, Andy had the Danes, a brigade of horse supported by an infantry brigade and some dragoons..

Ian had a mass of Austrian infantry...

...and Kuirassiers.

Prinz Eugen stayed behind his infantry.

On the far right of the Imperial line, Alex was given a small force of irregular Hungarian hussars to play with.

In the first move, my cavalry split, 1 brigade attempting to outflank the Danes, the other to guard the flank of my infantry.

Seeing the Danes using foot against my horse, I extended my infantry line.

My columned infantry deployed behind the Garde.

Lawrence's French brigade advanced towards Ian's Kuirassiers.

His Bavarian horse advanced also.

Andy's Danes advanced their infantry to try and sweep my Gendarmes off the table.

The Austrian infantry advanced slowly.

The Austrian horse, like me, split to engage the Bavarians and face their supporting infantry.

The Hungarians probed forward, attempting to outflank the Bavarians.

My gun fired at long range, but their aim was poor.

Andy sent some horse forward to fight my French horse.

His Dragoons took and defended the little wood in front of their position. This threatened my horse on the infantry's flank.

Lawrence and Ian put their horse on a collision course.

Having advanced his artillery, the Danish crew shot at my French gun.

A hit, first shot!

A subsequent hit shook my crew, and reduced the French artillery fire by half.

Having no infantry close, I was forced to send a squadron of Gendarmes Ecossaise to face the Danish foot to allow the rest to fight the Danish horse without getting shot at!

My second cavalry brigade fell back from the dragoons fire - I could not charge them with any chance of success.

On the left the Imperial and Anglo-Bavarian horse came to charge range.

The English caught their enemies halted, as did a brigade of Austrians, the rest clashed at pace!

I declared a charge on the first Danish Battalion, who panicked, and fired wildly.

Though I took a casualty, the Gendarmes Ecosaisse charged!

My Gendarmes Anglaises charged and routed a Danish squadron - but would in turn be beaten by the other Danish Kuirassiers.

The Gendarmes Ecosaisse were destroyed in their melee with the Danish foot, but the Danes were badly damaged and disordered too.

The Gendarmes de Flandres now broke the shaken Danes and burst through to rout the second line battalion,

In the rear, Marshal Villers dismounted some dragoons and reformed the second French cavalry brigade.

The Austrians sent a regiment of Kuirassiers to attack an Irish regiment

The cavalry battle went a bit to and fro...

Finally, an Austrian brigade broke through..but others were fleeing before the Anglo-Bavarians.

The English cavalry broke their opponents, but on the French side the Irish broke.

At this point, there was little reason to continue the game, as both right wings were in retreat. Without time to continue, we decided to declare a draw before the infantry lines engaged.

We had lost a lot of time discussing rules, which ate into play time, but I think we all learnt a lot - and remembered some rules we had forgotten!

I think I will do something small and fun next week to let my frazzled brain recover!